


The Incredible Trashtalker and Sharp witted Clickbait take on the Villainous Lockjaw

by tinyarmedtrex



Series: When we last left our heroes... [2]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: M/M, New villians - Freeform, PI Eddie, gotta read part 1 first, new heroes, not really - Freeform, same relationship shit :P, superhero richie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-01-15 19:18:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21258320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyarmedtrex/pseuds/tinyarmedtrex
Summary: A continuation of the lives of The Incredible Trashtalker and Eddie, his boyfriend.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Def recommend reading part 1 first if you haven't

“You know, eventually, you’ll have to get used to him. He’s not going to stop coming around anytime soon.” Eddie said, taking a sip of his coffee. 

“At least, I hope not.” He added, more to himself than his companion. He thought that things were going well, that they were doing pretty well. 

As if sensing his unease Snaps hopped up on his lap. 

“Mrow?” He seemed to be saying either that Eddie should pet him because then he’d feel better or that he still didn’t like Trashtalker but he’s consider trying to for Eddie. 

The hand not holding his coffee reached out to scratch the cat’s ears. “I know you don’t like the hovering but that’s not you, it’s him. He’s allergic.” 

Snaps didn’t seem to buy this argument. He cocked his head and looked at Eddie as if to say  _ ‘and that’s my problem how? He won’t pet me.’ _

“Listen buddy, I really like him, so you’ve got to give him a chance at least.” Eddie wanted the two most important creatures in his life to get along, at least a little. “Maybe we can do some relationship building with treats or catnip, would you like that?” 

Snaps purred in response, which Eddie took as a win. 

“Are you sure you aren’t powered? You and Snaps always seem to be deep in conversation when I come over.” A voice called from his balcony, rapping on the window. 

Eddie turned and saw Trashtalker-  _ Richie _ ! he chided himself- standing there, grinning at the pair of them. Eddie still wasn’t used to calling the man by his civilian name, though he constantly told Eddie that he preferred it. 

“That’s just normal pet owner to pet talking.” Eddie said, taking Snaps off his lap before walking over to unlock his door. 

Richie floated in and down. 

“Seems powered to me.” He said, kissing Eddie lightly as a hello. Eddie smiled into it. They were still getting used to this- whatever this was.

Eddie had only been out of the hospital for about a month, after being kept there for three weeks after he was shot- long enough that the dust had settled and that he wasn’t constantly getting calls from papers and TV shows begging him to tell his story, but not long enough for him to know exactly where he and Richie stood. 

They’d agreed to go slow until things died down- it would have looked odd if Eddie rescued Trashtalker and then started dating a guy who had the same body type and attitude. Richie had explained that in a long, halting speech, continually telling Eddie that it didn’t mean that he didn’t want to date him-  _ he did!, he swore! _ \- but Stan insisted on it being like this. He seemed worried that Eddie was going to chuck him out, tell him that it was all or nothing. 

But Eddie had nodded along, he understood. He knew going in that this was never going to be a normal relationship and he was fine with it. Normal was boring, predictable. He didn’t want that, he wanted adventure. He wanted Trashtalker, even if it meant being secretive about things. 

So for now they had this; Richie coming over to Eddie’s apartment or the two occasionally meeting somewhere quiet, like a movie theatre in the middle of the day or a small restaurant at 4pm. Eddie joked that they were like a retired couple, getting the early bird special. 

Honestly though Eddie liked that it was just them, that things were being kept on the downlow. After he was shot everything had blown up. He’d had a hard time going anywhere without being bombarded, either by journalists or by rabid Trashtalker fans who wanted to know what he was like in real life. For a short time, Eddie had become nearly as famous as the hero himself. He’d had offers to appear on talk shows and to be the center page story for several magazines. It was strange, journalists were supposed to report the news, not become it, and Eddie had bee on the front page for weeks. 

He’d hated it. It had ruined any chance for him to blend in, to be a regular reporter. He couldn’t go anywhere without people wanting his autograph or a sound clip. He’d even needed to stay in a hotel for several days because someone tried to follow him home. Through all of this, Eddie was grateful for Stan. He knew how to handle everything and made sure Eddie stayed safe, especially when Trashtalker couldn’t protect him. 

Eddie knew that Richie hated it, not being able to talk to him or see him but it had made sense. The two of them together would have been too much. It had only been for the first week or so, after Richie came to see him in the hospital Stan had said they needed things to die down- and for Eddie to make some decisions about his future. 

He had been fired from the paper for refusing to out Trashtalker. Eddie had known it was coming. Once he was out of the hospital his boss had called him under the guise of asking how he was. Really, she was foaming at the mouth at the thought of his story. He’d refused to tell her anything and she’d fired him. 

Luckily, things were worse for the paper than for him. Everyone wanted to talk to him, to hear his story, and the paper came out looking like they were against him and against the city’s favorite hero. He’d gotten several calls asking him to come back for much higher pay but he wasn’t interested. He didn’t want to go back to being told what to report. Instead he’d taken some time to decide what he really wanted, how to best use his skills. 

That was when Stan had shown up, asking Eddie if he’d be interested in doing private investigator work for him. Eddie had agreed, on the condition that he also got to run a small blog about the going ons in their city. He wanted to keep writing, keep his skills sharp. Stan had been reluctant but agreed, as long as he got to read the articles first. It was ideal, Eddie would get to investigate the strange things happening in his city and had all of the resources from Stan’s firm at his disposal. 

Though Stan had insisted that he take time off to recover before starting with them. Eddie was itching to get back to work but Stan wanted him healed and ready. He’d tried to argue but had been shot down with a stern look from Stan and a begging Richie. 

Eddie was surprised to learn that, under his intense chilly exterior, Stan cared deeply for his friends and their welfare. He had somehow found himself in that fold, pulled under Stan’s protective wing. It meant that he was taken care of but also that he was bored, sitting around and waiting to be back in the field. Stan refused to give him a date for when he could start, instead saying that they’d see how things went, no matter how much he pressed.

It left Eddie with a lot of free time. So far he’d been filling it with runs and physical therapy, plus his own side investigations. He was sure Stan wouldn’t be pleased about the last one but since they were technically on his own time Stan couldn’t do much about it. 

“How are things with the Mayor?” Eddie asked, pulling back from Richie. Learning more about superheroes and their world had been one of his projects. He wanted to know everything about this world that he’d been thrust into- though, annoyingly, it proved difficult to find much.

Richie hadn’t told Eddie a lot about how superhero life was different than civilian but he was getting the idea, piece by piece. He’d learned that relationships with civilians weren’t exactly encouraged and that, if what they had continued, eventually Eddie would need to go to the council and swear an oath of secrecy. 

But they weren’t there yet. That was for serious relationships. What he and Richie had was- 

Well he wasn’t sure. But he knew it didn’t rise to that level. 

He’d also learned that superheros had their own justice system, one that was largely hidden from public view. It caused some tensions but also made things easier- you couldn’t exactly try a mind reader in a normal court, or throw someone with super strength into a human prison. 

After Richie had captured the Mayor he had been taken away and locked up until his trial began. The outcome of the trial would be made public but the proceedings themselves were behind a closed and locked door, one that the unpowered didn’t get to peek behind. 

Except Eddie. 

If there was one huge advantage to dating a superhero it was exciting new access into their world, at least whatever scraps Richie would give him. No matter how much Eddie pressed it still felt like there were things Richie wouldn’t tell him. 

“Good. He mostly keeps scowling and saying he’s far too important for this.” Richie shrugged. He wasn’t nearly as interested in the case as Eddie. “Typical villain stuff.” 

Eddie shook his head at the thought of any of this being typical. He knew that the Mayor was being kept in minimum security, he wasn’t that scary by supervillain standards. Besides learning of his powers the only other useful thing they’d learned was that the man wasn't working alone. It seemed that he had been reporting up to someone else higher in the food chain. No one had been able to learn who though- or at least Richie hadn’t told Eddie if they had.

Sometimes Eddie wondered if Richie kept him in the dark on purpose or if he really wasn’t interested in the superhero world. Richie seemed to care about their city and protecting it but not about superhero politics or anything more. Eddie didn’t understand, he wanted to learn everything but usually his questions were met with a shrug. 

“What do you want to do tonight, Click? Should we order pizza?” Richie asked, flopping onto his couch and pulling Eddie down on top of him.

Click was the newest nickname that Richie had come up for him, saying that if he was hanging out with superheroes he needed a superhero name. Annoyingly, Richie had decided on Clickbait. According to him it was because no one could resist him. Eddie hated it, which of course only made Richie use it more. 

Eddie smiled in Richie’s lap, annoyed at how effective the distraction was. Eddie still got butterflies whenever Richie touched him. They were still in the early part of the relationship, where both wanted to put on a good front. Eddie was barely even used to calling Richie by his name and not Trashtalker. It still surprised him to see Richie’s face, to hear him talk about his day outside of being a hero. He liked it though, liked seeing the human side of the man.

He nuzzled against Richie, who placed an innocent kiss on Eddie’s neck. Even that made something in him bubble up. They hadn’t gone very far, no sleepovers yet. Richie insisted that Eddie be healed first but when Richie did things like that it reminded Eddie of what he could have- what he wanted. He was sure that Richie wanted it too, a few of their make out sessions had gotten heated before Richie had pulled back, much to Eddie’s annoyance. 

But he could wait. It would be worth it, he was sure of it. 

So Eddie slid out of Richie’s lap, knowing that he would only drive himself insane if he didn’t. 

“Tell me about Lockjaw.” He asked as Richie pulled Eddie’s feet into his lap. Eddie had quickly learned that Richie liked to be close, liked to be touching Eddie somehow- and Eddie wasn’t about to complain about that. 

Richie frowned. “Do we really need to talk about him? Can’t we just watch that show you love and talk about soggy bottoms?” 

Lockjaw was the new villain in their city. After the Mayor had been caught and removed from office it left several power gaps- both in local politics and among the underworld. Smaller villains had been trying to move in, to take over and prove themselves, and so far Lockjaw was the top dog. 

Not a lot was known about him. He wore an all gray suit and was built like an action figure for an 80’s wrestler- meaning that his chest was twice as broad as the rest of him and his hips were narrow. It bordered on looking ridiculous, though Eddie was sure no one had ever told him that. He had super strength and the ability to silence other people within a certain radius. It was what had earned him his name. 

Lately, he’d been making his name by robbing banks. He never made it out with a lot of money but caused a huge disruption and scared citizens. Richie had fought him several times and Eddie felt like he was always the last to know about it. 

“Richie, I want to help. I want to figure out who this guy is!” He had several theories about the guy. He didn’t seem very smart- more like brute force- so Eddie didn’t think he was working alone. He’d appeared out of nowhere and didn’t seem to know his own strength, it was almost like he’d only gotten his powers recently. Since nearly all the powered were born with their powers that was strange and Eddie wanted to get to the bottom of it. 

Richie shook his head, “It’s superhero stuff, Eds. I think it’d be better if you weren’t involved.” 

Now Eddie frowned. He wanted to argue but knew that Richie would tell him to leave it alone, that he would handle it. Richie probably thought that he was protecting Eddie but instead it made him feel like a child, like he couldn’t be trusted with the knowledge.

Richie’s eyes softened. “You need to focus on getting better, not on hunting down villains.”

Eddie bit back a response that he was healed. He’d always have a scar but otherwise he was good as new. But he knew Richie wouldn’t listen so he nodded, turning on his TV and picking out a show. 

They watched, talking about random things but Eddie wasn’t fully there, he kept thinking about Lockjaw and what the hell his game was. 

Richie left a few hours later, promising to text Eddie soon. They kissed on Eddie’s balcony for what seemed like hours, long enough that Eddie invited Richie to his room. 

“Eds, you’re still recovering.” Richie said, taking Eddie’s face in his hands and kissing him softly. 

“Maybe some of your healing powers will rub off if you’re on top of me.” Eddie suggested, smirking as Richie groaned. 

“God, you’re a fucking menace.” Richie kissed him again and Eddie wound his hands in Richie’s shirt, holding him close. “Not tonight though.” He said, kissing Eddie’s neck in a way that did nothing to stop him from wanting more. 

“When?” Eddie asked, fully aware that he was bordering on whining. 

“Soon. I want you to be fully healed. So,” Richie leaned in and whispered the rest in Eddie’s ear. “I can wreck you.” 

The words sent a shudder through Eddie’s body. “Richie-”

Richie leaned down and kissed Eddie once more before raising himself into the air. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” 

Eddie nodded, watching as Richie flew away.

Once he had though Eddie was left alone, unsatisfied and annoyed. He knew he should pop a pain pill and go to bed but his research was calling.

“What do you say buddy?” He asked Snaps, who was laying on top of the blueprints he’d had printed up. “Maybe we can crack this mystery.” 

Snaps meowed his agreement and Eddie went to put on a fresh pot of coffee. 

He felt most alive like this, when he was investigating and exploring rabbit holes, following a lead to its conclusion. He loved it, the thrill of finding connections that other people missed, watching things come together. Everything was connected, it was just a matter of figuring out how. 

The sun was poking over the horizon by the time Eddie finally went to bed but it didn’t matter. The time spent was worth it because he’d figured something out, something everyone else had missed. And he had a plan for how to investigate his new lead. 

Eddie woke up late the next day but that was fine, he didn’t need to be anywhere early. As much as he was trying not to get used to being on his own schedule he was a self confessed night owl and he loved being able to work as late as he wanted. He showered and dressed in his investigating outfit- complete with his fanny pack and running shoes. 

“I’ll be back for dinner.” He told Snaps, petting him for a minute before locking up his apartment and heading to his destination.

While looking everything over last night he’d found a lead that he wanted to trace down. The villain had been seen in the same neighborhood several times now and Eddie was guessing that he either lived in or near it. Either way, he was planning to canvas the area. He had checked the police reports (that he’d obtained mostly legally) and it didn’t seem like anyone else had made the connection yet. 

After a few hours he narrowed the area down to a few square blocks. Ducking into an abandoned building Eddie set up shop, planning to watch one of the busier streets for the next several hours. He set up his normal precautions- trip wires with bells attached so he could hear if anyone came close and closed all the doors he could find- and settled in, opening his lunch and watching.

Several hours passed and he didn’t see anything. He was debating setting up a camera when he heard something behind him.

Grabbing his switchblade he spun around, ready to defend himself or come up with a convincing lie to explain why he was there. Then he sighed in annoyance at the floating man who stood in front of him. 

“Richie?” Eddie asked, crossing his arms. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” He said, floating down and landing next to Eddie. “I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t investigate this.”

He immediately prickled at Richie’s tone. 

It reminded him of a parent scolding a child. 

“Oh? Did we? Is that what we agreed?” He scoffed. “Because I remember you shutting me down when I asked for information and leaving me no other option.”

Richie at least had the decency to look shocked. “I didn’t shut you down! I thought we were on the same page!”

“We weren’t.” He replied coolly. “I want to look into this and if that’s a problem then you can leave.”

He shrugged. 

“I’m not leaving you alone! It’s too dangerous!”

“I can handle myself!” Eddie snapped back. “I did it for years!” 

All the conversations that Richie had shut down, all the questions he refused to answer bubbled up in Eddie. He knew it wasn’t fair but he was sick of being treated with kid gloves.

“Eddie-” Richie reached out for him but Eddie shook his head, stepping back. 

“Just because I’m not a superhero doesn’t mean I’m useless! I’m not an idiot, Richie!” 

“You got shot!” Richie cried. It came out strangled and pained. His hands fell to his sides and he deflated. “Eddie, you got shot and it was my fault.” 

The fight went out of Eddie, seeing how distraught Richie suddenly was. 

“I almost lost you! Before I even had you!” Richie continued, shaking his head. “I don’t want that to happen again.”

Eddie rushed in, grabbing Richie’s hand. “I almost lost you too, remember?  _ You  _ were the one who got kidnapped.” 

He paused, trying not to let the memory overwhelm him. It took a minute but then he continued. 

“That’s why I have to do something, Richie. I can’t just sit in my apartment. What if I could have prevented it? You were tortured for days and I couldn’t do  _ anything _ .” 

His voice was raw too. For as much time as they spent together they hadn’t talked about this. Eddie hadn’t wanted to admit how scared he’d been, how worried. They hadn’t even been dating, telling Richie he was worried about losing him felt like too much. 

He hated how useless he’d been. He’d never minded not having powers until that day. 

“You rescued me.” Richie moved in and cupped his face. “You couldn’t have done anything more than that.” 

“After he used your own limbs against you and tied you up.” Eddie replied, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. The image still haunted him, reminding Eddie that he had nearly been too late. 

“But I’m okay now. Because of you.” Richie was looking at him with such naked admiration that Eddie couldn’t stand it. He didn’t deserve it. 

“I’m only a human, Richie. I can’t fight with you, I can’t save you. All I can do this this-” He swept his arm back to his surveillance equipment. “And that’s not enough!”

“Oh, Eds,” Richie leaned in and kissed him gently, their lips barely brushing. “I wish you could see that that’s enough, that  _ you’re  _ enough.”

“But what about-”

“Stop.” Richie squeezed his face. “You are enough. End of discussion. You rescued me when no one else could. I don’t know how else to convince you.” 

“Trust me.” The words rushed out. “Include me. I want to help. I want to be part of all this.” 

He could see that Richie wanted to say no, that he was still worried, but, slowly, he nodded. “Okay, Eds, fine. We’re in this together. Will you tell me what you’ve already found?”

Eddie put his arms around Richie, kissing him firmly, trying to express what he couldn’t say. That he appreciated Richie listening to him, that all of this was to keep him safe, that Eddie was fairly certain he was falling in love and couldn’t live without Richie, didn’t want to imagine a world without him in it.

But when they pulled back all Eddie said was, “I’d love to.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie watched carefully, recording any detail that could be useful while keeping his head down. They seemed to be wrapping up but then, suddenly, the clown’s head snapped to exactly where Eddie was, like he had seen Eddie. But that was impossible. Eddie was on his stomach, barely visible from the top of the building. He was nearly ten stories up and two hundred feet away. 
> 
> The clown raised an arm and pointed to Eddie. Lockjaw’s eyes followed and he snarled, taking off in an easy lope and running towards him.
> 
> “Shit, fuck.”

Eddie watched, pressing his lips together as he tried not to laugh as he watched Richie and Snaps. Richie was floating a few feet off the ground and was bent over at the waist, trying to feed Snaps one of his favorite snacks. The cat, however, was more interested in the floating human and kept batting at Richie’s feet, forcing Richie to float up then back down to try again. This had been going on for at least ten minutes and neither seemed to be relenting any time soon. How Eddie had ended up with two of the most stubborn creatures in the universe he had no idea. 

Rather than fightint it, he leaned back and sipped his wine, watching his boyfriend try to convince his cat to tolerate him. It wasn’t going well but Richie was determined and Eddie loved him for it.

“Do you want to talk about Lockjaw at some point or just tease Snaps?” Eddie asked after another five minutes of this. 

“You hear this, buddy? We’re finally getting somewhere and now Eddiekins is jealous.” Richie told Snaps, who meowed in response. He floated over to Eddie, landing in front of him and pressing a kiss to his lips.

It had only been a few days since they’d talked but Eddie had already felt the shift. Richie was more open, giving Eddie any information he had and answering his questions as best he could. Working together, they’d made some headway. The cameras Eddie had placed at the site hadn’t found anything but they’d set up others and those had recorded Lockjaw entering the same sewer entrance more than once. Eddie was eager to discuss it, to figure out the how’s and why’s of the case. He wanted to solve it, wanted answers. 

Eddie felt himself being lifted into the air as they kissed, automatically wrapping his arms and leg around Richie as they rose. He wanted to be annoyed that Richie was distracting him from the task at hand, but instead found himself giving in and winding his arms around Richie.

Kissing him was intoxicating. Eddie couldn’t help it. Since their fight and subsequent make up things had been escalating. The kisses grew more desperate and both took longer to break apart, each time both were more reluctant to let the other go. 

“What did you want to talk about again?” Richie asked, pressing Eddie against the wall and kissing his neck. They were nearly touching Eddie’s ceiling, leaving Eddie to cling to Richie to stay stable. Richie’s arm stretched, winding under Eddie’s ass and forming a sort of seat for him as his other one snaked under Eddie’s shirt, exploring his skin. 

“You can’t just kiss me into distraction.” He muttered, biting back a moan as Richie nipped at his collarbone.

“Are you sure about that? Because it seems like I can.” Richie replied, sucking on Eddie’s neck and making him buck against the other man. 

“Richie,” Eddie’s hands moved to his shirt, starting to tug it off. 

And that was when Richie’s phone rang, the ringtone indicating that it was for Trashtalker.

“Fuck,” Richie said, glaring at his phone and lowering them to the ground.

“At this rate we never will.” Eddie muttered. Richie threw him a look that let Eddie know he wasn’t the only one suffering as he answered. 

“Yes, yes. Of course. I’ll be there. Under five minutes.” Richie said, then he snapped the phone closed. “Lockjaw is robbing a bank. I need to go.”

“Drop me off at the sewer.” Eddie said, already pulling on his shoes and grabbing the backpack with his supplies. 

“Eddie-”

“ _ Richie _ .” Eddie mimicked, turning to look at Richie. “We talked about you trusting me. I won’t follow him. I just want to confirm that that’s where he goes.” 

Richie clearly still wanted to say no but he nodded, agreeing to drop Eddie off on his way.

“Stay safe.” He said, kissing Eddie quickly as he dropped him on top of a building. 

“You too.” 

Eddie watched Richie until he was just a dot in the sky. Then he forced himself to get to work, setting up his equipment. 

Eddie set up his cameras then sat, alternating between staring at his phone and at the sewer. He was waiting to hear that the robbery was over - and anything about Richie. It only took about ten minutes and his phone lit up with the news that Lockjaw had escaped while Trashtalker rescued the hostages. No one had died and someone had already posted a picture of Richie posing with the hostages. Eddie breathed a deep sigh of relief, trying not to think about what he’d do if the news was ever bad, then focused on the sewer. 

Before long Lockjaw appeared, carrying bags of cash and walking towards the sewer grate. Eddie quickly snapped pictures, hoping that some would turn out.

Then, to his shock, someone emerged from the sewers. This person was dressed as a clown, full face makeup and a dingy, gray outfit. Eddie frowned. Something seemed  _ wrong  _ about this other man, there was something strange about how he moved, how wide his mouth opened as he spoke. It was like he was static on an old tape, his appearance was ever shifting and never focused, like he didn’t quite belong in this world. It made Eddie want to look away, avert his gaze from this terrible thing but he knew he couldn’t. He was a journalist and he needed to get the story. He forced himself to keep snapping pictures. It was the only helpful thing he could do, trying to zoom in as Lockjaw and this new creature talked, watching as Lockjaw delivered all of his ill gotten gains to it. 

As Eddie watched them his mind spun through possibilities for who the new man could be. He racked his brain for any information on the man, or anyone dressed as a clown, but came up blank. Grabbing his tape recorder he started speaking into it, mostly to record his thoughts. He knew it would be a jumble but he wanted to get it all down, how the man looked and moved, what he was doing. 

Eddie knew most of the villains in the city, he made a point of memorizing them and their powers but he’d never heard of a clown. That either meant that he was new or completely under the radar. Eddie didn’t like either of those options. New meant a power struggle with the current villains and under the radar meant that he had power and connections. From the way that Lockjaw seemed to defer to this new creature Eddie was worried that it was the latter. 

Eddie watched carefully, recording any detail that could be useful while keeping his head down. They seemed to be wrapping up but then, suddenly, the clown’s head snapped to exactly where Eddie was, like he had seen Eddie. But that was impossible. Eddie was on his stomach, barely visible from the top of the building. He was nearly ten stories up and two hundred feet away. 

The clown raised an arm and pointed to Eddie. Lockjaw’s eyes followed and he snarled, taking off in an easy lope and running towards him.

“Shit, fuck.” Eddie started cramming things into his bag. He clicked ‘upload’ on the camera. If something happened to him he wanted Stan to get these. At least he could use them. 

Then Eddie grabbed his taser. He didn’t know if he could even use this against Lockjaw but it was all he had- besides a small knife that Richie had given him and he really didn’t want the villain to get close enough that he had to use that. 

Eddie looked for an escape. There was only one entrance to the roof and he knew he couldn’t take it without running into Lockjaw. There was only one other option. Throwing on the backpack he darted to the fire escape. 

He made it down two flights of stairs before he heard the door rip open and someone call out. 

“I know you’re up here, little man.” Lockjaw’s voice was deep, a strong baritone that rang out, resonating in Eddie’s bones. “Come out and face me.” 

Eddie didn’t pause, focusing only on putting one foot in front of the other. That was all that mattered. He made it down another flight until Lockjaw figured out where he was. A head popped over the roof, grinning down at him with too many teeth. 

“Hello there, poppet. You have something I need.” As he said it he jumped down, crashing through the first landing of the fire escape. The whole structure shuddered and Eddie had to stop to hang on. 

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” Lockjaw teased, swinging down off the edge and easily landing behind Eddie. He reached out but Eddie whirled, pressing his taser. It connected with the man’s neck and, for a second, Eddie thought it might work, that it might stop him.

But then he laughed, pulling the strings out and throwing them aside. “Cute. It’ll take more than that to stop me.” 

Eddie was already running again. He only had a few more floors and then he’d be on the ground. He was fairly certain he could outrun Lockjaw on the ground, the man was big but not fast and Eddie ran nearly everyday. It was his only hope and he clung to it, looking down at the ground and planning his escape route. 

He was on the last landing when he saw Richie in his uniform, flying through the air. 

“Trashtalker!” He screamed. “I’m over-” 

His next words were stolen. He opened his mouth to shout but found he couldn’t. Behind him Lockjaw chuckled. “Forgot about my ability, didn’t you?” 

Eddie’s shock had made him pause and Lockjaw took the time to grab Eddie by the collar, easily lifting him into the air. 

“Give me the camera and I’ll let you go.” He dangled Eddie off the edge of the ledge. Eddie knew that a drop from here wouldn’t kill him. If he landed right he could jump up and run again. He could handle this.

He spat in Lockjaw’s face, making no motion to grab the camera.

“Dumb move little man.” Lockjaw said, shaking Eddie. His other hand reached around and pulled the backpack off Eddie, releasing Eddie once he had the bag.

Suddenly Eddie was falling, the ground rising to meet him. He braced himself for the impact that never came. Instead he felt himself rising up. He opened his eyes and saw that Richie had caught him and was flying, rapidly taking them away from Lockjaw. 

He tried to speak, pointing to his bag, his research, but couldn’t yet, he was under the villain’s powers. He glanced over and watched as the other man jumped off the landing, running to the sewers with his bag in hand.

Richie seemed to understand and nodded. “I know Eds but it’s not worth your life. Don’t glare at me, I’m sure you kept the important stuff on you.”

Eddie scowled. Richie was right but his bag had other things he wanted, expensive equipment that he’d saved up for. 

It was nearly a mile before he could speak again. 

“I saw a clown.” he said, gasping. His throat felt scratchy, like someone had choked him.

Richie cocked his head. “I wouldn’t call him a clown. A dick maybe but-”

“No look!” Eddie pulled out his phone and pulled up the pictures he’d uploaded to the cloud. Richie landed on a rooftop, leaning over Eddie’s shoulder as they looked at the photos.

But the clown wasn’t in them. Lockjaw was there, clearly talking to someone, but instead of the otherworldly clown it was just a smudge, like someone had swiped their thumb over the photo.

“He was there! I swear!” Eddie said, swiping through the photos. They were all like that. Smudged, ruined. “Lockjaw gave him the money!”

Richie nodded, a hand on Eddie’s shoulder. “I believe you, Eds, I promise. Something messed with your pictures.” 

Eddie had been gearing up to argue and the anger seeped out of him as Richie agreed. He didn’t need to convince him, Richie trusted him. It was a strange but welcome feeling.

“Now, are you okay?” Richie asked, eyes sweeping him, scanning for injuries. 

“I’m okay.”

Richie pulled him in close, wrapping his arms around Eddie. “Thank god.” 

Eddie could tell that Richie wanted to lecture him, to say that this is exactly what he was worried about, but he didn’t. He just held Eddie then, after a few minutes, took him home, back to Snaps.

“Can you stay?” Eddie asked as Richie floated over his balcony. He didn’t want to be alone. The clown had shaken him and the disappearing photos nearly set him over the edge. 

Richie bent down to kiss him, lips lingering.

“I need to talk to the league about this.” He tapped his phone, which had the pictures Eddie took. “But then I’ll be back. I promise.” 

Eddie nodded, knowing that it was more important to report this to the league than it was to stay with him. After Richie left he decided to take a long shower, letting the hot water wash over him. He hated how weak he’d felt, how powerless. He knew he wasn’t a hero but if he was going to work with them he needed to figure out how to keep up with them. 

As he left the shower he heard Snaps hiss.

“Buddy!” He called, assuming that his neighbor’s cat was on his balcony. He and Snaps had a spat going about who exactly owned the building and the two would often get into hissing fights.

But when he stepped out of the bathroom, wearing only his pajamas, it wasn’t Mr. Whiskas that the cat was hissing at, it was another villain. It took Eddie a second to recognize him as Dark Cloud, one of the lower level villains who could turn into a cloud and disperse into the air. 

“Hey there.” Dark Cloud’s voice sounded like it was carried on the wind, wispy and strained. “Lockjaw wantssss to have a little- chat.” 

His right arm changed to vapor, stretching towards Eddie.

“I think I’ll pass.” He said, darting to the left and missing the hand that formed, trying to grab him.

“That’ssss not an option.” Dark Cloud replied, advancing towards him. His arms became mist, winding around the room and reaching for him.

Eddie didn’t hesitate to run, going to his room and shoving a towel under the crack in his door. He knew it wasn’t a permanent solution but at least it would give him a second to think. His room didn’t have many weapons- a heavy lamp but that wouldn’t help. A few books. His vacuum-

Wait.

Eddie waited Dark Vapor changed, slithering through the key hole. When he was halfway through Eddie turned on the vacuum, sucking the villain into the bag. The man tried to change back but he was too far in and soon all of him was sucked in, trapped in the bag. 

“Take that fucker.” He said, baring his teeth as a face formed in the dust. Eddie hoped that he couldn’t change in there. 

“Eddie?! Eddie!” Someone cried from his living room.

Grabbing the lamp Eddie went out, cautiously peeking around the corner. Standing in his room was Richie’s protegee, Unseen Shadow. She looked relieved when Eddie stepped out, rushing to him. 

“Are you okay?”

“Why are you here?” Eddie asked, not lowering the lamp. 

“Trashtalker sent me. He asked me to keep watch while he was gone.”

“He didn’t tell me that.” His hands tightened on the base of the lamp while he tried to remember her powers. She had near invisibility and super speed. No mind control but that still didn’t mean that someone else could impersonate her. 

“He thought you wouldn’t like it.” She said, raising her hands. “I was across the street when I saw someone attack you. Are you okay?”

Eddie wanted to believe her, he did, but it had been a long day and his patience was thin. “Prove it. Prove he sent you.” 

She floundered. 

“I -” She patted her costume. “Here! Here, I can call Stan, he can tell you.”

Eddie nodded, not moving as she put Stan on speaker. “Shadow! What do you need? I’m just leaving the league meeting with Trashtalker.” 

“Is he with you?” Eddie asked.

“Eddie?” Stan sounded confused and then there was a scuffle. 

“Eds?” The new voice was Richie, sounding concerned. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Did you send her?” He demanded. “Unseen Shadow?”

“Yea, to protect you. Shadow, what happened?” 

“I don’t know- your boyfriend is threatening me with a lamp.” 

Eddie glared at her but slowly put it down, accepting that she wasn’t the enemy. Then he quickly explained what happened. Richie swore as Stan said, “That’s it. You’re going to a safe house.”

“No fucking-”

“You are a liability right now. You have the biggest villain in the city after you and I can’t have two heroes set aside to watch you.”

“Two?” Eddie asked, looking at Shadow.

“The Architect is outside too, he stayed in case anyone else came.” He was another minor hero, able to control metal and stone. 

“Are you fucking kidding?” Eddie stared at the phone. “I can’t believe this! You can’t keep me under surveillance! I’m not a child!”

“You can yell at him in person soon.” Stan said, stopping his rant before it started. “Pack a bag and I’ll send a car.”  
Eddie wanted to argue but then Richie spoke. “Please Eds, I can’t focus on anything else if I’m worried about you.”

He glared at the phone, trying to see clearly through his anger. Finally he said, “Snaps is coming too.”

Stan sighed. “Fine, pack the cat. Just hurry up.”

Ten minutes later and he was ready. He already had a bag of clothes ready so it was just packing for Snaps and gathering his research. Unseen Shadow stayed with him, holding the trapped villain in his vacuum bag. 

“I can see why he likes you.” She said as Eddie threw his bag over his shoulder and took one last look around the apartment, trying to think if there was anything else he needed. He didn’t know when he’d come back or what would happen to his apartment while he was gone. He’d gathered all the evidence, refusing to let it fall into the wrong hands. 

“Who?” 

“Trashtalker. He’s never asked me to watch someone before.” 

Eddie turned to her. “Aren’t you insulted that you’re babysitting instead of out there, doing something?” 

She shrugged. “Nah, I mean, usually Trashtalker has a reason for doing things. I trust him. Plus, greater good and all that shit. Sometimes it’s about doing the boring stuff and knowing it matters. He wouldn’t ask me to do this if he didn’t think it was important.” 

Eddie considered this, both that Richie cared enough about him to have two heroes watch him and that he had the trust of other heroes. Some of his anger dissipated. Richie was worried with him the same way that Eddie worried but Richie was willing to ask for help whereas Eddie didn’t have anyone else he trusted enough. 

“We can go.” He said, trying not to think about how long it could be until he saw his apartment again. He loved his place, it was small and perfect. It was his sanctuary and he had a feeling he’d never feel quite as safe here after this. 

Shadow followed him out and to the car that was already waiting. After confirming that it was the one Stan had sent they crawled in, Eddie cradling Snap’s carrier in his lap. She wasn’t thrilled about the situation, curled in the back of her carrier, unhappy noises emitting from her. Eddie understood the feeling. 

“Why are you doing all this?” Shadow asked as they drove. 

Eddie looked at her, confused. “Because they’re making me.”

“Not that.” She waved a gloved hand. “Helping, working with us. You don’t have to. You could probably write a book about your experience with the mayor and live off the royalties.” 

Eddie furrowed his brow. There were several easy answers- because he was dating Trashtalker, because it was the right thing to do- but none of those were the whole answer. 

“I like puzzles, digging and finding clues. And I want to help.” He shrugged at his meager explanation. “I know I don’t have powers but if I can use my skills at all I want to. This is a battle between good and evil, I’d hate to sit it out if there’s anything I can do to help.”

She smiled, nodding. “That’s pretty cool.” Eddie liked her, felt comfortable with her. 

They fell into easy conversation. She couldn’t reveal much about her personal life so they talked about other things, the rise and fall of villains, the hero league. If six months ago someone had told Eddie that he’d be hanging out with superheroes and asking them where they got their costumes he would have thought they were insane but here he was, asking about flame proof fabrics. 

“We’re here.” The driver said, not so much as glancing at them.

The two got out, looking around. They had pulled into a parking garage, though Eddie didn’t see any other cars except the one that had brought them. As he looked he saw a blur moving towards them and suddenly he was in Richie’s arms, being held by the other man.

“Are you okay?” He asked, pulling back to cradle Eddie’s face. He was still in his costume, face covered, but Eddie could hear the concern in his voice. “I was so worried- shit. I should have been there. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“I’m okay.” Eddie said quietly, kissing his boyfriend. Richie pulled him in close, kissing Eddie like he thought he’d never get to again.

“Other people.” Someone called behind them. 

Eddie pulled back, seeing Stan, the Architect and a black man all watching them. Unseen Shadow had moved over by them too, standing beside the Architect. 

Richie didn’t apologize, he just grabbed Eddie’s bags and then looped an arm around him. 

“Hi, Stan,” Eddie said as he approached. 

“Eddie, this is the Architect.” Eddie waved at the man wearing all gray and got a warm smile in response. “And Mike, my husband.”

Somehow Eddie wasn’t surprised that Stan had never mentioned being married before. Mike looked like the opposite of him, warm and open, already smiling at Eddie and shaking his hand.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” Mike said, ushering them to the door. 

Eddie watched as Stan punched in a series of numbers to let them leave the parking garage, pulling open a heavy door and entering a hallway. At the end was only one door and Stan paused for a retinal scan.

“We’ll need to get you added as well.” Stan told Eddie as he opened the other door.

“He’s insane about security.” Richie whispered as they entered the apartment. It was a huge loft, wide open spaces and twenty foot high ceilings. Eddie tried not to gape as he looked around. 

“You’re staying with me.” Richie said, watching Eddie as the others made themselves scarce, giving them a moment alone. “If that’s okay.” 

Eddie was still gaping at the space. “This is where you live? I can’t believe you insisted on coming to my shitty apartment.” He said, going over to the window. They were high above the city and now he realized where they were, in one of the new highrises on the western edge of town. He’d never even be able to afford to step foot in one on his own. 

Richie laughed, standing next to him. “It’s mostly Stan. He negotiated a damn good salary from the city.” 

Eddie stared out the window, trying to process everything from the day and this apartment as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Is this okay?” Richie repeated. “I have a guest room but we can always get you another place too. I just- I wanted you close.” 

He turned to Richie, smiling at him. “More than. I want to be near you too.” 

Richie exhaled, clearly relieved. “Thank god, alright. Let’s go find the others before they find my S&M room.”

Eddie laughed and followed Richie. Everyone else was around Richie’s dining room table, discussing what to do next. Eddie let Snaps out and then joined them. 

“Lockjaw will keep coming for him.” Unseen Shadow was saying. “We need to take him out.”

“We can’t just kill people, we’re the good guys.” Architect said, his hand covering hers. If anyone else noticed they didn’t say anything. 

“Maybe sometimes that means killing the bad ones! We can’t just ignore that they’ll kill us without a second thought, we’re at a disadvantage if we don’t do the same!” She turned to Richie. “What do you think?”

Richie’s arm tightened on Eddie’s waist and Eddie knew what he was thinking, because it was exactly what Eddie was thinking- to protect Richie he’d kill someone without hesitation. 

“I think if we can take him out another way we should but-” Richie glanced at Eddie and he nodded. “But if there’s no other way then I’ll be the one to do it.” 

Everyone nodded, seeming to accept Richie’s words as the final say in the matter. Eddie was impressed, he’d never expected Richie to have so much sway among the heroes. 

“Okay team, what’s plan A?” Richie moved in, keeping Eddie next to him as they talked. The group started talking, all throwing out ideas for how to stop Lockjaw and the clown. Richie made sure to stop and consult Eddie, asking what he thought and if he thought it would work. The others listened to him and Eddie felt lucky that they had a team this strong and competent. Everyone brought a different set of skills and ideas, Eddie was impressed by the team that Richie had assembled. 

Within a few hours they had a plan to catch Lockjaw- with Eddie as the bait. Richie had protested that part but it was the only way they could guarantee that Lockjaw would come out. 

Everyone left, promising to be in contact, and Eddie and Richie were finally alone.

“Are you sure about this?” Richie asked as they cleaned up the remains of the pizza they’d ordered.

“We talked about you trusting me.”

Richie stopped, turning to Eddie and taking his face in his stupidly big hands. “I do trust you but I’m always going to worry about you. The two aren’t exclusive.” 

Eddie leaned in, capturing Richie’s lips in a brief kiss. “I know. But I want to do this. I need to feel like I can help and if the only way I can is as bait then I’ll do it.” 

Richie’s response was to kiss Eddie back, crowding him against the counter in the best way possible. Eddie was reminded that they would be sharing a bed that night. There was no way he was going to be able to keep his hands off Richie, not when they would be so close. If they way Richie’s hands moved over him were any indication Richie was having the same thoughts. Eddie felt a moan scraping his throat, rising up and escaping him. 

Of course that was when Snaps appeared, leaping on Eddie’s shoulder and demanding dinner.

“Furry little cock block.” Richie muttered. Snaps only stared at him and Eddie was convinced she knew what she’d interrupted. 

“You go to the bedroom, I’ll be right there.” Eddie promised, scratching her chin. 

Richie nodded and disappeared while Eddie fed her then changed into his pajamas, wishing he had something a little sexier than his bright blue flannel pants and gray tank top. But when Richie came back in he didn’t seem to mind. His eyes traveled up Eddie’s torso, stopping on his biceps and shoulders. 

“Shit Eds, where were you hiding those guns?” Richie asked, shucking his own pants and shirt until he was only in boxers and socks. 

Eddie tried not to blush, not bothering to hide that he was staring too. “They’ve been here the whole time.” 

The two watched each other, neither one moving in until, suddenly, there was a noise from the kitchen. With lightening speed Richie moved in front of Eddie, ready to protect him. Both tensed, waiting, but after a minute nothing had erupted through the door. 

“I’m going to look.” Richie said. 

Eddie nodded. “And I’m coming with.” 

Richie looked like he wanted to argue but said nothing as the two walked down the hall, moving as quietly as they could.

Eddie nearly laughed as he saw the culprit. It was Snaps again, exploring the kitchen and knocking over cups in the process.

“That damn cat.” Richie muttered as Eddie picked her up. 

“You’re the one who insisted on re-homing her. We were perfectly happy in our apartment.” Eddie replied as she nuzzled his chin, meowing happily. 

“You can’t blame me for wanting to keep you both safe.” Richie said, walking over and kissing Eddie’s forehead. “Even if you both hate me for it.”

Eddie looked up at him, feeling a little bad for all the protesting. “We could never hate you Richie.” He put the cat down, wrapping his arms around Richie instead. Suddenly, the last twenty four hours finally caught up with him and suddenly he was exhausted. He tried and failed to stifle a yawn. “Let’s go to bed.” He said, resting his head on Richie’s shoulder. 

“You go ahead.” Richie said, kissing his hair. “I’ll be there in a minute.” 

Eddie nodded, padding back down the hall. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ssshhhhh let's ignore how long this update took and enjoy how long it is.   
Thank you to the kind anons who kept telling me how much they liked this story. It motivated me to keep working on it!   
I think 1 more chap after this (which I already started!)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What should we do with him?” Asked The Fang, lifting a hand and making Eddie spin on his ropes. He resisted crying out, knowing it would only encourage them. 
> 
> “Don’t play with your food.” Snapped the Unknown Soldier, moving closer. Eddie counted over a dozen guns strapped to her chest and knew there were even more he couldn’t see. 
> 
> “I say we send him home in pieces. Let those heroes reassemble their human.” Scarab suggested, scurrying behind Eddie. He shuddered, feeling dozens of small limbs crawling over him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI this chap has (temp) character death.

When Eddie woke up the next morning he was disappointed to find that he was alone. He had rolled over, hoping to find Richie but there was only empty space. Worry rose up in him, even as he reminded himself that he was in the safest place possible. He refused to give into it, instead running over the plan that they’d decided on last night and making sure he remembered everything as he got dressed. 

“Richie?” He called, entering the main part of the penthouse. All the worry vanished as he found Richie hunched over the table, fiddling with something. He was surrounded by empty coffee mugs and looked like he hadn’t slept at all. 

“Ah Eds! Just the guy I wanted to see.” Richie stood, walking over to him and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “This is for you.” He dropped whatever he’d been working on into Eddie’s hand. 

“Thanks?” He looked at it, seeing that it was a pin, plain except for a CB emblem on one side. “But I’m not really a pin person.”

“It’s not just a pin.” Richie pointed to the top. “I embedded a small radio and location chip in there, in case you need to talk to us or if we lose you. And-” Richie flipped it, pointing to the bottom. “If you press the bottom of the C a tiny dart shoots out. It’s tipped with poison so hopefully you can shoot them and then use those sexy legs to run away.” Richie ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve been working on it all night.” 

Eddie’s first impulse was to protest, to tell Richie that he didn’t need this. He’d be fine. But he reminded himself that this was Richie’s way of showing he cared- and that he could use all the help he could get. They were sending a human into a den of villains. He’d be an idiot to refuse help. So Eddie surged up, claiming Richie’s lips. “I love it.” He said, handing it back to Richie. “Will you pin it on me?” 

Richie grinned, clearly relieved that Eddie wasn’t upset. “Certainly.” His hand pressed to Eddie’s chest, pinching the fabric of his shirt and pinning it. “I want to keep you safe.” He added, eyes scanning Eddie’s face. Eddie could feel a familiar argument coming, where Richie asked Eddie to stay back. 

“And I want to help.” Eddie said before Richie could say anything else. “We’ll be celebrating before you know it.” He promised, arching closing so their chests were pressed together. 

“What if we had a pre-celebration?” Richie asked, angling his head to kiss Eddie’s neck. “Just us?” 

He gasped as teeth scraped his pulse point, his hands grabbing Richie’s hair. “I’d like that.”

Richie hummed against his skin, nodding. “Thought you might.” He pressed kisses against Eddie’s skin, his hands still under Eddie’s shirt but now his palms pressed to Eddie’s skin, running over his chest. 

“Richie can we-” Eddie muttered, moaning when Richie rolled his nipple between his fingers. He wasn’t even sure what exactly he wanted to ask but that didn’t seem to matter.

“Yes.” Richie agreed, pressing a leg between Eddie’s thighs. “I think we’ve waited long enough.”

Eddie wasn’t a fool. He knew why Richie was finally agreeing to this. Things were going to get messy, because today might go badly. Eddie hoped the point of this was to give Eddie something to fight for and not some form of goodbye. But he also didn’t care, not when Richie was pulling Eddie’s shirt off, his mouth latching to Eddie’s nipple and sucking. 

He groaned, his hands tugging Richie’s hair. “Richie, shit.” 

Richie’s eyes flicked up, looking delighted by his reaction. His hands were on Eddie’s pants, undoing his belt and pushing them down before palming Eddie through his briefs. He groaned again, already hard. It would have been embarrassing if he didn’t want this so badly. He could see that Richie was equally hard, his pajama pants doing nothing to hide his erection. Eddie slipped a hand down to rub Richie through the fabric, enjoying the moan that escaped from him. He barely noticed as Richie’s other arm stretched, going around the corner and returning a minute later with lube.

“Convenient.” Eddie muttered.

“You have no idea.” Richie said, attacking Eddie’s other nipple as he pushed off Eddie’s boxers and popped the lube, spreading it over both hands. One hand grabbed Eddie’s erection, working him over slowly. Eddie eagerly watched, seeing how Richie had stretched his hand to cover all of him.

“Does this mean- if you bottom-” Eddie started as Richie pulled off again. 

“Oh yea,” Richie stood, pressing a quick kiss to Eddie’s mouth before dropping to his knees. “I can stretch all my skin baby.” As if to prove it Richie put his mouth on Eddie, easily deep throating him in one go. Eddie cried out, his hands in Richie’s hair again. As Richie started to bob his head he pressed a finger in. Richie already had stupidly long fingers and now- Eddie felt how he let it stretch, easily finding Eddie’s prostate. 

“Oh fuck,” Eddie let his head fall, torn between watching Richie’s mouth on him or trying to turn and watch his hand. His legs were already shaking, it had been so long since someone had paid him this much attention. Richie's mouth moved over him as he added another finger, stretching Eddie open.

“Please,” Eddie said after a few more minutes of this. “Shit Richie I don’t want to cum like this.”

Richie pulled off, leaning in to nip Eddie’s hip. “God Eds, if I had known how pretty you sounded I would have done this weeks ago.”

“Hey, the wait wasn’t my fault.” Eddie protested as Richie rose, shedding the rest of his clothes and moving in to kiss him again.

“You’re right.” Richie easily lifted him, putting Eddie on the table. “I promise to make it worth the wait though.”

Richie rolled on a condom before positioning himself between Eddie’s legs. Eddie briefly wondered if Richie was actually that big or if it was another stretch but quickly forgot as Richie pressed in. He fell back on the table, hands reaching for anything as Richie stretched him. 

“Eddie, you feel amazing.” Richie’s hands were on his ass, kneading it. He tapped Eddie’s legs, encouraging him to wrap them around Richie as he started to thrust, drawing out and pushing back in slowly, letting Eddie feel every inch of him. It was torture, so close to what Eddie had wanted but no where near enough. 

“You promised to wreck me.” Eddie complained, trying to push back on Richie, urging him to go faster. 

“You’re right.” Richie leaned in and pulled Eddie to a sitting position, pulling him to the very edge of the table. 

“Hold on tight.” Richie added. He did as he was told and Richie started to thrust harder. Eddie closed his eyes, letting the delicious feeling wash over him. Then his back hit something and he realized he wasn’t on the table anymore. 

When he opened his eyes he saw that they were in the air, his back was pressed against the ceiling and Richie was under him, keeping them both up. 

“If you- drop me-” Eddie started, gasping as he felt Richie grow in him, stretching him even more. 

“I won't’.” There was something amazing about this, Eddie had to trust Richie, let him take the lead. He was happy too, especially when Richie suddenly pulled out and flipped them, changing it so Eddie was on all fours on the ceiling, his knees pressed into the stucco. One hand wound around Eddie’s waist and the other was in his shoulders, holding him in place as Richie pushed back in, going faster now, harder. Eddie cried out, the new angle making him see stars. 

“Richie- I-” Eddie couldn’t finish, he was so close and Richie was hitting him just right, pounding into Eddie like he’d demanded. 

“Come on baby, cum for me.” Richie whispered, pressing a kiss behind Eddie’s ear. His hand stretched and snaked down, grabbing Eddie and pumping him. 

Two more thrusts and Eddie came, the cum decorating the ceiling and his stomach. Richie came immediately after, grinding into Eddie as he gasped. Slowly, he pulled out and turned Eddie again, cradling him in his arms as they floated back down to the ground. 

“Where are we going?” Eddie asked, feeling sated and exhausted. 

“Bath.” Richie said, kissing his forehead. 

“What about the ceiling?” Eddie asked, glancing up.

“Oh I’m keeping that, a reminder of our first time.” Richie said, kissing Eddie’s forehead.

Eddie shook his head. “That’s disgusting.” He was too happy to argue further, letting Richie hold him as he drew them a warm bath then falling asleep together on the bed. 

Eddie woke up to the doorbell ringing and Stan calling for them a minute later. He glanced down and realized that his clothes were still in the kitchen. 

“Shit.” He muttered.

“I’ve got it.” Richie replied, his arm stretching out and returning a minute later with their clothes. Eddie was sure he heard Stan say something but didn’t care. The two of them threw on their clothes and went to the kitchen, where everyone was standing there with far too knowing expressions on their faces. 

“Were we interrupting something?” Unseen Shadow asked, grinning at them. 

“Just a quick demo of my powers for Eddie here.” Richie said, winding an arm around Eddie’s waist and pulling him close. 

“No distractions.” Stan chided, rolling out a detailed map. “Eddie I want to go over everything with you again. Richie, check with Unseen Shadow and the Architect. You three need to be on the same page. 

Eddie knew that if it was anyone else Richie would have argued but because it was Stan he only nodded, turning to the other heroes as Stan started to talk. Mike produced fresh muffins and coffee, all of them enjoying breakfast as they ran over the plan again. As he listened Eddie let himself feel hopeful. Stan had planned out every detail and had several contingency plans. The heroes all seemed sure this would work. Eddie let their confidence seep into him, trusting his new friends and boyfriend. 

An hour later and he was ready to go. He had Richie’s pin and a knife in his pocket. Besides that, he wasn’t carrying much because no one wanted him weighed down. He had his backpack but it was empty- it only held his camera. It would look too suspicious if he didn’t bring that. 

The plan was simple. He would show up where Lockjaw was and start taking pictures. Hopefully the villain would follow Eddie again - right into the trap the heroes set up. 

“We received intel that he would be at the Caboose.” Stan said. “You should be able to catch him in the act.” 

Eddie nodded. The caboose was a bar not too far from his apartment. 

“Remember, if that other villain comes you run. We don’t know his powers and if you get captured-”

“I know.” He didn't need a reminder of what could happen if the other side caught him. Richie’s grip tightened on him. He’d stayed close to Eddie through all of this, seeming reluctant to let him go. Eddie couldn’t bring himself to protest the closeness. 

“We leave in five minutes.” Stan finished, going to talk to the Architect, presumably to give Eddie and Richie a minute to say goodbye. 

“Say the word and I’ll fly us to Hawaii.” Richie muttered, staring down at the papers and diagrams that covered his table. 

Gently, Eddie tilted Richie’s head to look at him. “We can leave tomorrow. I want to do this Richie.” Richie was in his costume and somehow that made Eddie feel braver. He had the city's strongest hero on his side, he had to trust that that was enough. 

“Eds, I wanted to tell you- I need to tell you- I l-”

Eddie shook his head, pressing a finger to Richie’s lips. “No Richie. Tell me after. I don’t want the first time you say it to be from fear.” 

Richie still looked upset but he nodded, tilting Eddie’s chin up to kiss him once more. “Stay safe. Please.” 

“I will.” Eddie moved back before he melted into Richie again. 

After a quick goodbye to the others he left. Stan had tried to insist that he take the car but it was too suspicious. Instead, Eddie called an uber and had it drop him a few weeks away. He would never admit it to anyone else but his heart was pounding when he got out of the car. For a brief moment he wondered what the hell he was doing. This was a terrible idea- he was a human going in to fight super villains. Eddie thought he understood what fish in a barrel felt like before they were shot. 

“Eds?” It took him a second to figure out where the noise was coming from. He’d left his phone at Richie’s, not wanting Lockjaw to have it if something happened. The sound was faint, and he realized it was coming from his pin. “I saw that your heart rate spiked.” 

He sighed. Of course the pin Richie had given him measured his heart rate. It could probably track his breathing too. He pushed down the annoyance, reminding himself that Richie only did it because he cared. 

“I’m fine.” He whispered back, hoping Richie could hear him. “I’m going to the roof.” He had a strong urge to rip the pin off. He didn’t want Richie monitoring him and worrying. He could handle himself. 

But even as Eddie’s fingers rose to take it off he stopped himself. A lot of people were relying on him and, if this didn’t work, they needed to be able to find him. So instead he pulled out his camera, checking that everything was ready as he climbed the stairs. Even though pictures weren’t the actual point of this he still hoped to get some, maybe something he could sell to a paper when all this was over. 

He never noticed the trap that was waiting for him on the top floor. 

Eddie stepped onto the landing, fiddling with a setting when suddenly his legs were yanked out from under him. Instead of landing on the floor he found himself dangling in the air, his phone and backpack tumbling to the ground beside him. He tried to reach for the knife in his pocket but paused when a voice spoke. 

“Thought we wouldn’t expect you to come back?” Someone asked from a corner. “We knew you’d be back. Probably with your little band of heroes close by.” Lockjaw stepped into view, his eyes narrow. “We planned for this.”

“We?” Eddie croaked out, praying that Richie and the others were listening.

Lockjaw’s lips curled into a grin. “You’re not the only one with powerful friends.” As he spoke other villains stepped out of hiding. Eddie recognized them all. Scarab Beetle. Unknown Soldier. The Fang. But he ignored them. Because behind all of them was the clown. It’s eyes glowed a sinister yellow as it watched Eddie like he was corner prey. Lockjaw stepped forward, roughly grabbing Eddie’s arms and tying them behind his back as he struggled. 

“What should we do with him?” Asked The Fang, lifting a hand and making Eddie spin on his ropes. He resisted crying out, knowing it would only encourage them. 

“Don’t play with your food.” Snapped the Unknown Soldier, moving closer. Eddie counted over a dozen guns strapped to her chest and knew there were even more he couldn’t see. 

“I say we send him home in pieces. Let those heroes reassemble their human.” Scarab suggested, scurrying behind Eddie. He shuddered, feeling dozens of small limbs crawling over him. 

“Stop.” The clown stepped forward and Eddie felt it again. That static, the urge to look away. The others seemed to feel it too, they stepped back, letting the clown approach. He tried to stare, to memorize details for later, but it was so hard. The longer he looked the sicker he felt, like his insides were rebelling. 

The smell didn’t help. The clown had a strong odor, like decayed flesh and gray water. It seemed to radiate off him, almost like he was rotting from the inside. 

The combination finally made Eddie lose his breakfast. He vomited, turning his head to avoid having it fall on his face. The villains laughed but the clown only stared. 

“That was rude.” It said, raising a gloved finger and wiping off a stripe of the vomit on Eddie’s cheek. He bit his lip to keep from crying out. The touch was like ice, burning his skin. Eddie wouldn’t be surprised if he had a scar there after, a reminder of this encounter. 

As if reading his thoughts The clown’s mouth stretched unnaturally wide, grinning. Eddie swore he saw rows of teeth, all angled towards him. “You still believe that you’re going to make it out of here alive. Interesting.” 

The clown turned away from Eddie, speaking to the others. “For too long the heroes have stopped us. Kept us down, forced us to live in the sewers. But no more.” They hung on his every word, admiration beating out their repulsion.

“As I speak the heroes are rushing here, eager to rescue their little pet.” The clown briefly glanced at him before turning back to the others. “They will rush in and we will end them. Kill them all and put a stop to that little league they have. And then the world will be ours for the taking.” He raised a hand, closing it into a fist and the villains cheered, grunting and hooting their approval. Eddie felt sick again.

“And what about Trashtalker? He can heal.” Scarab asked. Eddie knew the two of them had fought before and Trashtalker had wiped the floor with him. 

“Leave him to me.” The clown said, turning back to Eddie. “Trashtalker loves this human. It’s his greatest weakness. He’ll do anything to save him.” A hand darted out, grabbing Eddie by the hair and lifting him partway. Eddie couldn’t stop the grunt of pain that escaped. “And it will destroy him. Heroes aren’t meant to fall in love with humans. He should have known better. He will, after this. I will break him. He will know pain and regret. He will know hate and fear.” 

Eddie wanted to protest, to tell this clown that it was wrong. But he couldn’t. Somewhere, deep in his gut, he knew the villain was right. He was Richie’s weakness. He could never protect Richie like Richie protected him. Even now, the one time he was supposed to be the hero, all he’d managed to do was get captured. 

“And when this is over, I will keep you.” He shook his arm, the bells jangling as Eddie moved like a ragdoll, unable to resist. “My little prize.” 

“Fuck you.” Eddie said, spitting on the clown's face. The spit landed on its cheek but the clown only laughed. The sound was high pitched and unnatural. It made fear curl in Eddie’s stomach, reminding him of all the monsters he’d dreamt of as a kid, the ones who lived under his bed that his parents promised weren’t real. He knew better now. He knew that monsters were real and that he was face to face with one. 

“So spirited. Don’t worry, we can break that.” 

Eddie wanted to say more. He wanted to be brave, but bravery was hard to find when you were hanging upside down, surrounded by people who would love to know what shade of red your blood was. 

A quiet crash made the villians turn towards the window. “Right on time.” The clown muttered, dropping Eddie and addressing the villains once more. “Kill them all. I want their guts to decorate the floor. Leave Trashtalker to me.” 

The villains barely had time to nod as the window broke. Richie entered first, the Architect and Unseen Shadow following closely behind. 

“Run! It’s a-” Eddie started to scream before his voice was stolen from him. Lockjaw glanced at him, raising a finger to his lips before barrelling towards Unseen Shadow and trying to tackle her. 

But she was too quick, dissipating before he could get his arms around her. As he sprung again the Unknown Soldier raised her guns, aiming at the Architect’s chest. He quickly called the floor up, creating a shield in front of him. As that happened Scarab jumped on the walls, trying to crawl behind the two heroes and jump on them. 

Eddie’s eyes were torn away from their fight. The clown was advancing on Richie, doing a strange, unnerving jig as he walked. 

“What the hell are you?” Richie asked, drawing his shoulders back. “The circus isn’t in town.” 

“Me? I’m your worst nightmare.” The clown said as it shifted into something monstrous, huge and hairy. It took Eddie a second to realize what it was- a werewolf, jagged claws out and drool dripping from it’s mouth. 

“How-” Eddie heard the quake in Richie’s voice, the fear. 

“Come give granny a kiss.” The clown said, lunging in. Eddie tried to cry out, to warn Richie, but nothing came out. He watched in horror as the claws ripped into Richie’s shoulder, blood welling up and dripping even as Richie darted back. The wounds healed as the clown struck again, huge jaws biting down on Richie’s ankle. He cried out in pain, stretching and trying to get away. Eddie struggled against his ropes, hating how useless he was. 

Then he felt someone at his side, undoing his arms. Eddie tried to move away, sure it was another villain coming for him.

“Stop it!” Stan hissed, leaning in. If Eddie hadn’t recognized his voice he wouldn't have known who it was. Stan was wearing an elaborate mask, almost like a bird’s beak. 

“How?” Eddie tried to ask but of course he couldn’t.

“We may not have powers,” Mike said, leaning in and grabbing Eddie’s torso as Stan undid his legs. “But we aren’t useless.” He flipped Eddie over, holding onto him as the blood rushed out of Eddie’s head. Mike was wearing a costume too, something sleek that covered nearly all his skin. It reminded Eddie of ivy, twisting and running across Mike’s jumpsuit. 

“We need to get you out of here.” Stan said, glancing behind Eddie at the fighting. He took Eddie’s arm but Eddie stubbornly shook his head, refusing to leave. 

“Eddie,” Stan said, speaking quietly. “I know you want to help but you can’t. You don’t have any weapons, you’ll only distract Trashtalker.”

Eddie looked over his shoulder. The Architect and Unseen Shadow were back to back, each fighting a different villain. Richie was fighting the clown, landing blow after blow that seemed to have no effect. He couldn’t see Lockjaw, which made him nervous. 

He shook his head, pointing to the taser on Stan’s side. Stan sighed heavily, looking at Mike. “You’ll help more if we leave.” He insisted.

Eddie was done with this conversation. Moving quickly, he grabbed the taser and ran towards Richie, planning to attack the clown and hopefully distract him for a moment. Stan and Mike yelled after him but Eddie didn’t pause. 

At least not until an arm came up, whacking him across the neck and making him fall to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. He looked up and saw Lockjaw grinning down at him.

“You really are stupid.” Lockjaw said, picking Eddie up by his shirt collar and raising him to his eye level. “You could have run but didn’t. Now you’re mine.” Eddie struggled, raising the taser to strike Lockjaw. The man easily slapped it away, chuckling. “Useless.” He raised Eddie higher and threw him. Eddie landed roughly against the wall, feeling something crack as he landed. He blacked out for a second, only coming to when he heard someone scream his name. 

“Eddie!” Richie cried, trying to stretch over to him. The clown had Richie’s leg in his claws, ripping his uniform and skin to shreds. As he glanced around the room he saw that things had only gotten worse. Unseen Shadow was under the Fang, struggling against his grip. The Architect was battling the Unknown Soldier, trying to fight him off but Eddie could see he was moving slower now, the barriers he made were smaller. Mike and Stan were fighting the Scarab, Mike had a whip like a vine, trying to entwine the legs while Stan flew over him, avoiding the venomous spray. 

Eddie shook his head, forcing himself slowly to his feet. Everything felt fuzzy and his arm dangled uselessly at his side. 

“You should have run.” Lockjaw repeated, taking easy strides to Eddie and lifting him again, his claws digging painfully into Eddie’s shoulder. “Saved yourself.” 

“Eddie!” Richie was still reaching for him, his fingers grazed Eddie’s and he grabbed Richie’s hand, looking at him and not Lockjaw. Lockjaw was right. He was useless. He couldn’t help. Their hands locked together and Richie stared at him. He was in rough shape, his costume was shredded and he was bloody. It was Eddie’s fault. He’d thought he could help, that he could save Richie and the others. 

“Look at me!” The clown demanded, his voice rumbling through the room. Richie’s eyes stayed on him. 

“I love you Eddie. I love you.” Richie said. Eddie felt tears running down his cheeks. He couldn’t even say it back. It was his last chance and he couldn’t say it. 

“LOOK AT ME!” The clown repeated. This time there was a strange force in its voice, a strength that wasn’t there before. It compelled Richie to turn and look. Eddie watched in horror as something happened. Richie stopped fighting and his eyes changed, becoming blank as he stared at the clown. It laughed, releasing Richie and letting him float, so sure that he had Richie now.

“Weak. Disgusting. You humans, willing to sacrifice yourselves because you think it will help the ones you love. Foolish.” The clown snapped his fingers and suddenly Unseen Shadow flew to him, colliding with Richie. Then she was under the clown’s spell too. 

“No!” The Architect screamed, abandoning his fight and running to her. Unknown Soldier took his shot, aiming quickly and shooting the hero in the chest. He cried out in pain before collapsing. Eddie knew that the stillness in his body could only mean one thing. 

Stan was next. The clown raised a finger and he flew over, struggling and calling for Mike as he did. But as soon as he caught the clown’s eyes he stopped, floating silently between Richie and Bev.

“Stan!” Mike stared in horror at his husband, giving Scarab the chance he needed to sink a claw into Mike’s chest, ripping his flesh as Mike too collapsed.

That left only Eddie. The clown’s gaze didn’t leave his victims and Lockjaw still held him, laughing.

“We won. Your heroes are all dead.”

_ Not all of us.  _ Eddie thought, grabbing his knife from his pocket and stabbing Lockjaw in the forearm. The man cried out, dropping Eddie to the floor. Before he could recover Eddie darted over to the clown, plunging his knife into its calf, praying that it would at least distract the creature. 

It worked. The clown cried out, twisting around to snarl at Eddie. Even in his fear he saw that his friends fell, dropping to the ground. Any relief was short lived because none of them moved and the clown was lifting him, unhinging his jaw as he did.

“You’ve interrupted my plans for the last time.” The clown said, the words hard to understand through the rows of teeth that were rapidly appearing. 

Eddie struggled, trying to escape but it didn’t matter. He was outmatched. As he rose in the air he took one last look at Richie, wishing this was different, that he could have stopped this, helped somehow. 

“ _ STOP _ !” The words rang in Eddie’s head. He whipped his head around, looking for the source. Standing in the doorway, surrounded by light, was another hero. Eddie didn’t recognize them though. He saw a shell and green- skin? Face paint? He wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that it was a distraction. 

“Get him!” The clown screamed, seeming shocked for the first time. “Kill him!” 

The villains rushed to him, all attacking at once. All the hero did was raise a hand and they crumpled, collapsing to the ground. Then the figure strode to the clown. 

“ _ Release them _ .” It demanded. Except the figure didn’t speak, the words were in Eddie’s head, so loud it almost hurt. 

The clown only snarled, still holding Eddie. “Never!” Eddie tried to warn the figure as the clown’s claw came out again, ripping into the figure’s side but it didn’t matter, the claws broke off in jagged pieces, breaking on it’s hard shell. 

_ “You will release them.” _ It repeated, raising an arm and pressing a thumb to the clown's forehead.  _ “And then you will leave them alone.”  _

Eddie fell to the floor as the clown dropped him, falling under the new hero’s spell. He scrambled to his feet again, still holding the knife and not one hundred percent sure he trusted the new arrival. 

_ “I won’t harm you.” _ The figure said in his head, turning to Eddie. The clown was still standing but looked dumbstruck, unmoving. It was almost comical, the stained white and red suit and puffy sleeves, except that didn’t didn’t feel like laughing. 

“I don’t believe you.” Eddie said, his voice raspy but finally working since Lockjaw was passed out. 

The figure waved its hand and Eddie watched as the wounds from his friends healed and their chests started to rise and fall again. 

“Will they be okay?” He asked, noticing that no one woke up. 

A small shrug.  _ “As okay as you humans ever are. They will live.” _

A million questions ran through Eddie’s head and he struggled to not ask all of them at once. “Who are you? What are your powers? What if they come back?” 

_ “I am- a friend. Yes. That word will do. My powers are vast. And they won’t return. They won’t remember you.” _

Eddie knew the words were meant to comfort him. “But they’re still villains! They’ll go after others!” 

The figure considered that then spoke.  _ “That is outside my concern.” _

“It’s not outside mine!” Eddie screamed, stepping in. As he moved his shoulder hit the wall and he yelped in pain. 

_ “You’re injured. Allow me to help.”  _ The figure touched him and Eddie instantly felt better, even his fatigue was gone and he felt different, like things were sharper and the world was brighter. He ignored it. 

“What are you?” He asked again. 

_ “I told you.”  _ The voice rang in his head, impatient this time.  _ “A friend.”  _ The figure looked slowly around the room and seemed to decide that everything was fine. Before Eddie could ask another question it disappeared as suddenly as it had come, leaving Eddie alone and confused. 

He barely had time to think before Mike woke up, swearing as he stood. “Wait I-” Mike ran his fingers over his uniform, which had a huge hole from the claw. “What happened?” He asked, looking at Eddie.

He opened his mouth to reply but Mike was distracted by Stan. He ran to his husband, gathering the man in his arms. Stan blinked once, twice and looked up at him. Eddie watched as the same scene played out with the Architect and Unseen Shadow, both couples holding the other tight as they checked for injuries. He walked to Richie, who hadn’t woken up.

“What’s wrong with him?” Eddie asked, bending over Richie and taking his hand. His arm was still stretched out from reaching for Eddie, unnaturally long and flexible. 

“He was under the spell for longer than the rest of us.” Unseen Shadow said, looking at the villains. “What happened here?”

“We need to leave.” Stan said, cutting off any of Eddie’s explanations. “Before they wake up.”

“But R-Trashtalker.” Eddie shook him but it didn’t matter. Richie was still motionless. Barely even breathing. 

“We carry him.” Stan said, rising slowly to his feet. Mike hefted Richie over his shoulders and the group left, Stan sweeping the room to ensure they didn’t leave anything before calling the police. As they left Eddie explained as best he could, still not entirely sure what had happened himself. No one seemed confused or worried about the strange hero though. All of them were used to things like this- and to not asking too many questions.

“I need to sleep for about a week.” Unseen Shadow said as they reached Richie’s apartment. 

Mike laid Richie on the couch. He was still out but now at least looked like he was just sleeping. It was unnerving, seeing Richie so still. 

“Call us.” Stan said, leaning heavily against Mike. He and Shadow still seemed dazed. 

Eddie nodded. They’d all agreed that if Richie wasn’t awake within a few hours that they would worry then. The crew left, promising to leave other heroes to watch the apartment in case anyone came for them. Eddie wasn’t worried, at least not about that. 

Finally he was alone with Richie. The first thing he did was grab a notebook, writing down every detail he could remember. His notes were a jumbled mess but he could deal with that later. He didn’t want to forget anything. 

Once that was done he went to Richie, taking his arm again and leaning his cheek on Richie’s chest. “Please wake up.” Eddie muttered. “Richie, I need you.” His plea went unanswered. Unsure what else to do he leaned in and pressed a careful kiss to Richie’s lips. As he did he felt a spark pass through them, a small jolt. It made Eddie yip and Richie jump up.

“What the- Eds run!” Richie cried, instantly in a fighting stance. Then he looked around the room, seeming to realize they were alone. “What happened?”

Eddie leapt up, throwing himself into Richie’s arms. “You wouldn’t wake up.” 

Richie wrapped his arms around Eddie, holding him close. “The fight- that clown-” 

Eddie maneuvered both of them back to the couch and told Richie everything. It took a long time because Richie kept asking questions but Eddie didn’t mind, Richie was awake and, besides some cuts and bruises, seemed healthy. 

“Your kiss healed me. You’re a disney prince, with magical powers.” Richie said as he finished, explaining that none of them could wake him. 

“Shut up.” Eddie said, lightly hitting Richie. “I don’t have powers.” Today’s battle had been a painful reminder of that. 

Richie didn’t answer. He was staring down at where Eddie had hit him. There had been a thin cut there and now it was gone. 

“Eds?” Richie asked, looking at him. 

Eddie shook his head. “You can heal yourself, remember? That wasn’t me.”

“I can but my powers are reknitting my insides, they haven’t gotten to the surface stuff. Here!” He held his leg out, where there were ugly bite marks. “Heal me.”

Eddie protested but still laid his hands on Richie’s leg. Both gasped as the skin healed under his touch. 

“But that's impossible!” Eddie said, staring at his hands. “I’m human!” 

“Maybe that weird guy gave you powers.” Richie leapt up, walking away.

It took Eddie a second but he followed. “What are you doing?”

“We need to figure out your other powers.” Richie said, walking to a training lab Eddie hadn’t seen before. “No way you only have one.” Richie turned to him. “If you’re up for it.”

Eddie’s mouth worked, still ready to argue that it was impossible. But his hands had healed Richie. It was something and he needed to know if there was more. 

He nodded.

It took hours but they discovered that Eddie could run fast and that he seemed to have super hearing. It was overwhelming and Eddie was still in disbelief as they collapsed to the ground, Richie pulling him close.

“Do you think it’ll wear off?” Eddie asked. He was exhausted from all the tests.

“There’s a legend.” Richie said, running a hand over Eddie’s back. “That the first hero got their powers from a turtle they rescued. It was flipped on its back and they helped it. The turtle rewarded her kindness with powers.”

“Do you think- was it the same creature?” Eddie hadn’t told the others that their savior had looked like a turtle. It has seemed insane. But he’d told Richie. He knew Richie would believe him. 

“After the day we’ve had I’ll believe anything.”

Eddie nodded, staring at the training center and thinking. Most of the villains from today would be locked up, thrown in special cells, but the clown was still out there. Eddie knew that no jail would hold him. And there were lots of other villains he didn’t even know about. 

“Do you know what this means Richie?” He asked quietly.

“Amazing sex?” Richie asked, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Eddie shook his head, looking up at Richie. “I can help. I can be a hero too.” 

Something passed over Richie's face. Fear maybe. Or pain. Richie shook his head. “Eddie, no. You’ve done enough. You don’t need to give the world anymore of yourself.” 

“But I want to.” Eddie insisted. “I have to. As long as there are still villains I want to help.” 

Richie sighed then nodded, not looking surprised. “Okay. We’ll figure it all out- together.”

“Promise?” 

He nodded again. “Promise.” He dropped a kiss to Eddie’s forehead. “Now, let’s go to sleep. I think that’s enough for today.” 

Eddie nodded, letting Richie gather him up and carry him to the room, kissing him as he did. Even though there was a lot more they’d have to talk about- and likely more arguments to have- Eddie had Richie and his friends back. For tonight, they were all safe. And for now that was what mattered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok several end notes  
1) this took forever. I know. But its done! Yippeee!
> 
> 2) Richie: Ohhhhh Stan, you're like batman. A techy human superhero guy!  
Stan: Except that I'm a bird. Not a bat.  
Richie: Bats...aren't birds?
> 
> 3) I had a different ending planned but I decided I liked this one. I wanted to give Eddie powers bc hes wanted them the whole time. He wanted to be part of the world and now he gets to (for better or worse). My thoughts are that he and Richie go on a hunt for the clown and Richie is still overprotective and it def gets them into trouble. Drama, alone time, fights etc. There's a lot more thoughts for this universe but I'm going to be honest with myself and say that I probably wont write it. 
> 
> 4) Eddie's super hearing is to make him a better journalist :P I thought it was fitting. 
> 
> Thanks for sticking with the story! I hope you liked the end

**Author's Note:**

> Again, this will probably be three chapters! Hope you guys are as excited as me!


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